73 replies to this topic

[Senesce]

I noticed that there are a lot of ebooks and readers that increased within the years. I'm warming up to the idea of getting an ebook reader but I know for a fact, it won't ever beat the feeling of touching a paperback (or discovering a new book in a bookstore or library!). The smell and the feel of paper is just... addicting. Still, I can't get all the novels I want (I'm in one of those places where Amazon products don't arrive on time or at all). I may have to resort to using an ebook reader in the near future.

So I wonder how many of you out there prefer an ebook reader? or prefer paper books? Both?

[KayBorn3000]

I want an E-book. I am not only a manga lover but a Tech geek as well, Every time I see an E-book I reach for my wallet. Then I put it back.

I cant bring myself to invest in something that I know I would rarely use. I just cant even come close to replacing a book for me. The joy of cracking open a new book. The texture of paper. The smell of paper books ( especially old books ). The sound of turning pages.The various weights of books.

Its just a very special feeling for me, the way a book titillates my four senses in a way that an E-book cant replicate ( yes 4 I havent gone as far as licking books LOL)

Maybe someday I will give in but for now many trees will still have to be murdered for my reading pleasure

[Laurens D]

buy a laser printer? don't know much about e-books though. why not buying a regular tablet instead? i'm currently using an galaxy note n7000, which is a 5 inch phone. but it works great with reading manga.

[bumblebee310]

I still prefer books over e-books.
And just as the fellow bookworms above said, reading a book offers an experience e-books won't replace.
From tracing its spine to taking it out from the bookshelf.
That distinct scent both of a book newly-opened or of one you have read time and time again.
Feeling the texture of the paper and turning the pages.
Until reaching the final words. <3

<-- proceeds to fantasize about her dream library

[Purple Library Guy]

I like real books. Of course, that sounds kind of odd considering I read manga mostly online. And when I think of all the paper I'd have wasted if I read all of them in print instead . . . whoa.
But for actual book type books, I want to open it up and flip pages. And then I want to keep it and have it on my bookshelf. My idea of a home is a place with bookshelves. If my bookshelves went away, even if I had electronic copies of all of them, I'd feel lost.

[KidCongo]

Real books have so many advantages compared to E-readers; you can throw them and they won't break, they burn really good, and - under extreme circumstances - they can be used as ersatz toilet paper.

[Senesce]

Its just a very special feeling for me, the way a book titillates my four senses in a way that an E-book cant replicate ( yes 4 I havent gone as far as licking books LOL)

Maybe someday I will give in but for now many trees will still have to be murdered for my reading pleasure.

Real books are the greener of the two. But yes, we have the means to recycle... Erm, not sure how it would feel, look... taste? like.

Reading a book offers an experience e-books won't replace.
<3
<-- proceeds to fantasize about her dream library

Ugh. Wish I lived in a library or had become a librarian. Anyway, one thing I always get to do when I get hold of shitty books (wrongly picked or the blurb was interesting but content-wise...) is I can throw them away. I don't think I'd be able to do that with an ebook reader. A shame. Haha

My idea of a home is a place with bookshelves. If my bookshelves went away, even if I had electronic copies of all of them, I'd feel lost.

Yeah... bookshelves are awesome. Sad how not many people from my area appreciate books that much anymore. The gamers age has begun! X) P.S. Thanks for offering your comment virginity to this thread. I like you for having "library" in your name already. Hehe

Real books have so many advantages compared to E-readers; you can throw them and they won't break, they burn really good, and - under extreme circumstances - they can be used as ersatz toilet paper.

Oh, I can think of books I'd want to offer as substitute for toilet papers... Math textbooks, for one.

[KayBorn3000]

Ugh. Wish I lived in a library or had become a librarian. Anyway, one thing I always get to do when I get hold of shitty books (wrongly picked or the blurb was interesting but content-wise...) is I can throw them away. I don't think I'd be able to do that with an ebook reader. A shame. Haha



WHAT!!!!!




For SHAME. Especially coming from a future librarian....Donate them to the local Library.


I forgive you

[Senesce]

WHAT!!!!!

For SHAME. Especially coming from a future librarian....Donate them to the local Library.


I forgive you

No, no... like literally throwing them down the floor. Sorry I wasn't clear. Well, I guess my future's established. I'd be a picky librarian- X)

Edit: i would donate if we had libraries around. But yeah, I get your point. /tuts at self

Edited by psychia, 01 November 2011 - 06:50 PM.

[hados9]

I perfer E books for manga even raws but then a proper book i prefer paper and can i say nice picture Psychia

[Hatsune Miku]

I prefer having a Paper book in my hands where I can actually flip through the pages as I'm reading it.

[BloodSide]

I have an e-book(broke it though) but i def prefer books to a e book. It feels alot more natural and nicer in my hands. Also i let's me get in my grove for reading alot easier

[Aleks]

well nothing can replace the charm of a book for me
the smell of the paper, the texture hmm (I'm speaking about books, not some roasted chicken haha)

maybe an e-book when i'm reading while smoking (dangerous to turn the pages whith a cigaret, don't try this at home kids!)

[TheGodfather]

Honestly, I prefer a bound book.
I wouldn't mind an E-Book reader, and as there are several iPads in my household, I can confirm that they're quite comfortable to use. Maybe I'll look at getting something in the direction of the Kindle or such a thing.

And to all the people that prefer reading a paperback book, check out www.thebookdepository.co.uk - they have a selection as large as Amazon as I know and ship for free internationally and personally I've found them to be quite a bit cheaper than my local bookstores. Love at first click :3

[Senesce]

And to all the people that prefer reading a paperback book, check out www.thebookdepository.co.uk - they have a selection as large as Amazon as I know and ship for free internationally and personally I've found them to be quite a bit cheaper than my local bookstores. Love at first click :3

A-a-arigatou! <3 Bookmarked the site.

[Nick]

Like others, I prefer a real book. Same reason as the others too; a real book has a distinctive feel as compared to an e-book. I wouldn't mind reading an e-Book though. They both have their own charms.

[passcod]

This is probably a good time to say that ebooks and real books are. not. the. same. Apart from the obvious tangible-physical-papery angle, there's so many differences between ebooks and real books that you just can't compare them. Some of you above say "I prefer real books" at the same time as "I haven't actually used an e-reader"... Hum, ok, I guess. Right.

• You can copy ebooks.
• They don't weight anything.
• You can put hundreds of them in your pocket. Thousands. Tens of thousands. (Can you read that much??)
• You have to buy a $100 or $200 device to read them.
• You can (sometimes) read them in the dark. (This is actually awesome. Flashlight under the covers? Nah, I got an ebook.)
• You can spill your coffee over some of them (the Kobo is kinda waterproof, not sure about the others)
• You can access the web on some of them. I always find it cool that I don't have to carry a dictionary around (or get up to go to the computer) when I read a book in a foreign language, or in old English.
• If the device breaks, the books are intact.
• They cost less than real books.
• You can't throw them at your girlfriend. This gets really annoying sometimes.
• You can't display them on your bookshelf.
• You can't read two at the same time. (Maybe that's not so bad.)
• Ebooks suck for study.
• If you get stuck in a dark forest at night... you still need matches to light up a real book. An ebook will probably have some kind of light or LED anyway.
• Ebooks don't smell. And we love both the smell of new books and the smell of old books.
• You can't eat ebooks. (I'm not kidding.)
• You don't have to turn the page on an ebook. Ever had that terrible moment when the end of the scene is on the next page and you fumble turning the page, or your hand is numb, or you skip a page? That doesn't happen on an ebook.
• You can't easily skip pages, or seek through, or go back a chapter and a half, or corner a page... in an ebook.
• You don't have to plug in your real book. You can try, but the results may vary wildly.
• You can't have sex with an ebook. (Sorry kids...)
• Receiving two books for a birthday can be awesome (if you're the right kind of person). Receiving two ebooks less so. Receiving two ereaders just sucks.
• If you really don't like a book (read: abhor) you can perform mad surgical operations on it using blunt objects. All you can do to an ebook is Shift-Del it.

I have two ereaders, I read ebooks on more than four devices, and my bookshelf contains about 800 paper books, which is much more than the number of ebooks I have read. I enjoy reading both, but you just can't beat the look on the face of the regular kids when you stroll out of the library with a 15-high pile of books on your hands. This for me is the real win. : )

[TheGodfather]

passcod does raise some valid points. Of course, in the end it all comes down to preference. If you're a heavy reader, reading several books a month and on the go, an E-Reader is most likely a good investment. Often E-Books are cheaper as well...

For me it's often just that E-Reader stores don't have the same selection and range as an actual book store. That's kinda annoying. For instance, I don't think there's an official Harry Potter E-book yet.

Also, anyone gonna read 'Inheritance' from the Eragon series when it's out later this month?

[Boomsickle]

Who reads? heh what nonsense

[toodles]

Real books! Starring at a screen for too long hurts my eyes.